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maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 27 AUGUST 2014 News 5 Notice of meeting to be held in public e Malta Environment & Planning Authority will meet on ursday 28 th August 2014 at 14:00 hours at the MEPA boardroom, St. Francis Ravelin, Floriana, to discuss the following: DETERMINATION OF DEVELOPMENT CONTROL APPLICATION: PA 0316/03: Site at, Triq Wied Costa, Ta' Kandja, Limiti ta' Siggiewi To construct a concrete brick factory. Subject to the maximum seating capacity, seats can be reserved on request for the applicant and registered objectors. Remaining seating is lled on a rst come rst served basis. RESERVATIONS: 2290 2018 22 nd August, 2014 www.mepa.org.mt FROM PAGE 1 Vella warns against foreign intervention in Libya The current fighting began after the June elections, in which Islam- ist candidates lost the majority held in the previous parliament, and renegade general Khalifa Hifter began a military campaign against Islamist-allied militias in Libya's second-largest city, Benghazi. Meanwhile, fighters from the western region of Zintan and Mis- rata to the east of Tripoli, former allies during the NATO-backed campaign to oust Muammar Gaddafi fell out and turned parts of Tripoli into a battlefield. On Monday, Libya's former par- liament, the General National Congress (GNC), appointed a new prime minister in a move which is set to deepen the country's politi- cal split, as warring factions vie for control of the oil-rich nation. The GNC reconvened on Mon- day in Tripoli and elected Islamist- backed Omar al-Hassi as prime minister, in an attempt to replace the House of Representatives which was elected in June, effec- tively ending the political domi- nance that factions linked to the Muslim Brotherhood had in the previous legislature. Following the withdrawal of the Zintani forces from Tripoli, the GNC said it replaced the House of Representatives, and tasked al- Hassi, a lecturer in political science at the University of Benghazi, with forming a "salvation government". He said that the divide in Libya is now "clear and definite" with the Zintani militias from the western part of the country backing the To- bruck government and the Islamist militias from eastern cities of Mis- rata and Benghazi supporting the General National Congress. "Ironically the House of Repre- sentatives backed by the western militias has its seat in the far-east- ern city of Tobruk while the Islam- ists whose power base is in the east has reinstated the GNC in Tripoli which is in the west." Vella explained that the Maltese government recognises the Tobruk government as Libya's legitimate government following the June elections, which were declared lawful by international observers. On the other hand, while wel- coming the "calmer situation in Tripoli" he pointed out that the Maltese government does not rec- ognise the GNC government. After weeks of fighting, in which over 1,000 people were killed and thousands f led their homes in the capital, the Zintani forces with- drew from their positions in the capital, including Tripoli Interna- tional Airport, on order of the To- bruk government. Tobruk representative, Saleh Hashim, confirmed that the House of Representatives requested all fighting factions in Tripoli to with- draw and observe a ceasefire. Furthermore, Zintani spokesper- sons claimed that Misratan forces took Tripoli International Airport and their other bases in the capital after reneging on a ceasefire deal that would have seen both sides pull out of the city. After the Zintani's withdrawal, most of Tripoli has been calm, with fighting mainly restricted to the frontlines in the south and parts of the west of the city. "I expect the fighting in Tripoli to recede," Vella said, however he added that residents are living in fear of a complete takeover by Is- lamist forces from the eastern part of the country. Earlier this week, Prime Minister Abdullah al-Thinni's private resi- dence in Tripoli was ran- sacked and torched by I s l a m i s t s , while a number of pro-Tobruk g o v e r n - ment jour- nalists and n e w s p a p e r offices were also at- tacked. A l t h o u g h the demarca- tion lines are now clearer than ever, Vella warned that the west and neighbor- ing countries should not ig- nore the heterogeneous nature of the Islamist front. "The Misrata faction are mod- erate Islamists and are dedicated to trade more than anything else. Moreover, in the 2011 conf lict which led to the downfall of Gadd- afi, the people in Misrata endured terrible grief and they are very grateful to Malta for the aid we had sent to the area." He said that while Libya is a pre- dominantly Sunni country, there are "different shades of Islamists," with radical fanatics in Benghazi being a completely different kettle of fish from the moderate Islamists in Misrata and other areas. According to US officials, the United Arab Emirates has secretly carried out air strikes against mili- tias in Libya using bases in Egypt. Vella espoused the position taken by France, Germany, It- aly, the United Kingdom, and the United States who on Mon- day said that "outside interfer- ence in Libya exacerbates cur- rent divisions and undermines Libya's democratic transition". Asked whether he agreed with external intervention, Vella said that as the experi- ence in other countries such as Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan showed "the less interference the better as this could lead to further radicalisation and ex- tremism". jbalzan@mediatoday.com.mt Foreign Minister George Vella. Below: Misrata militias set Tripoli airport on fire after taking control of it. Inset: Prime Minister Al-Thinni's house was ransacked The distance flown by the UAE fighter planes

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